This article contains spoilers for Andor episode 5
Star Wars has long had an awkward relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. Back in the 2000s, it was bluntly stated that gay people “did not exist in Star Wars“. Since then, we’ve seen awkward baby steps like video game The Old Republic‘s DLC planet Makeb, the only place in the universe where players were permitted to pursue same-sex relationships.
Since Disney purchased Star Wars, things have improved, though not without controversy. A much-trumpeted lesbian kiss in The Rise of Skywalker was essentially a background detail and was edited out of some international releases. Since then, we’ve seen a smattering of LGBTQ+ characters in various books, comics, and animated shows.
But this week’s episode of Andor — ‘The Axe Forgets’ — casually reveals Star Wars‘ newest gay couple: Faye Marsay’s Vel and Varada Sethu’s Cinta.
Early in the episode, it was commented that the two are “already sharing a blanket”, which sounds like confirmation to us that they’re together. Admittedly, this was a quick line and the pair didn’t show any onscreen intimacy, but it’s pretty clear what was being implied.
Fans are over the twin moons about it:
Some demand a smooch before we properly celebrate:
Andor knows where it stands:
Yes, we all picked up on that:
Hope it’s a big blanket as Aldhani looks chilly:
There’s not much subtlety here:
However, with next week’s episode set to feature an incredibly risky heist, we may not get much of a chance to see the happy couple, as we doubt everyone will make it out alive. Fortunately, Vel and Cinta aren’t on the team actually infiltrating the Imperial base, though we doubt they’ll be kept completely out of the action.
Fingers crossed this hint develops into something more in the coming episodes.
Andor releases Wednesdays on Disney Plus.
